Effects of confidence and motivation on susceptibility to informational social influence.

"The general hypothesis… was that the individual's acceptance of the judgments of others varies as function of: (a) the relative confidence he has in his own judgment; and (b) his motivational orientation toward the task with which he was confronted… . conformity (as measured through a modified Crutchfield apparatus) was found to: (a) increase as the subjective probability that S was receiving information from the others increased; and (b) decrease as the frequency of errors made by the 'majority' increased. Motivational effects induced by the instruction that the task reflected the individual's intelligence resulted in a decrease in… [errors]." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology: The socially indifferent science.

Psychology "is a science without social content… . I believe that psychology has been and ought to be mainly interested in the properties and processes of individual organisms… . Psychology… has been so far the science which deals with the abstract, universal, culturally contentless features of behavior which in almost all cases—and surely all the most interesting cases—are socially tagged, but which are analyzed as properties of individual organisms… . I am arguing that the formulations which psychologists have made and ought to continue making do not and need not contain explicit social or cultural terms to satisfy the relevance of psychology for understanding social behavior." From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2AD32L. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reaction to "The creation and destruction of value."

Suggests that B. Schwartz's (1990) article on the question of creating vs destroying value in human interactions may raise false hopes about the possibility of achieving an enlightened society. It is not solely the social milieu that is responsible for cultural variations of "goodness" and "badness," nor is an individual's proclivity for creating value totally responsible for existing value orientations within a social milieu. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personal motivations and self-conceptions associated with effectiveness and ineffectiveness in emergent groups.

"The present study tested five hypotheses concerning the relationship of underlying motivations and self-conceptions to sociometrically measured effectiveness in an emergent group situation… . After the subjects… wrote brief stories in response to eight pictures, they participated in a 20-minute leaderless group discussion… . The results may be interpreted as indicating that effectiveness in an initially unstructured group situation is systematically related to the individual's personal motivations and self-concepts." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptual preferences as a function of personality variables under normal and stressful conditions.

"This investigation… studied the relationship between preference for detail and depth, which are assumed to underlie 'texture' responses [on the Rorschach], and measures of dependency, insecurity, and anxiety under normal and stressful conditions… . The more an individual acknowledges his dependency on others, the greater is his preference for detail… . Under conditions of induced stress, the change in preference for detail is a function of the level of the individual's insecurity… . Under conditions of induced stress, the change in preference for depth is a function of the level of the individual's symptomatic anxiety." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Culture, psychotherapy and counseling: Critical and integrative perspectives.

Reviews the book, Culture, psychotherapy and counseling: Critical and integrative perspectives (see record 2006-00543-000) edited by Lisa Hoshmand. Lisa Tsoi Hoshmand points out in a new book she has edited, Culture, psychotherapy and counseling: Critical and integrative perspectives, framing the culture concept in this way trivializes and distorts the significance of "the cultural," both for psychotherapists and for psychologists more generally. In this volume, Hoshmand and her contributors both explicate and perform a much broader understanding of what culture is, and of the ways in which it inescapably does (and should) influence psychotherapeutic and counseling theory and practice. Most notably, she highlights the ways that personal history, sociopolitical context, social change, and globalization all influence an individual's cultural identity; as a corollary of this, she asserts, "the internalized culture and identity of a given individual cannot be presumed on the basis of ethnic origin and cultural tradition". In spite of the limitation, virtually all of the chapters blend personal history, theoretical reflection and clinical material in interesting ways that enhance the reader's appreciation of the many contexts that surround and infuse the therapeutic encounter. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self- and interpersonal evaluations: Esteem theories versus consistency theories.

Contrasts and derives different predictions from 2 social psychological theories on the relation between self- and interpersonal evaluation. Self-esteem theory predicts that the higher an individual's self-evaluation, the less his tendency to reciprocate evaluations from others, whereas self-consistency theory predicts that the higher the individual's self-evaluation the greater his tendency to reciprocate evaluations from others. Studies bearing on these predictions are reviewed, and the evidence tends to support self-esteem theory. 2 extensions of the assumptions of self-esteem theory are presented and discussed in terms of accounting for results which apparently support self-consistency theory. Esteem-theory results appear to be distinguished from consistency-theory results by whether or not the experimental S is the direct target of another person's actions. The implications of this distinction for other problems of person perception and social evaluation are discussed. It is concluded that cognitive consistency theories may be somewhat overworked as explanatory frameworks for the study of social evaluations. (59 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Cultural Mosaic: A Metatheory for Understanding the Complexity of Culture.

Workforce population trends have increased the numbers and kinds of culturally diverse people who work together. Researchers in organizational behavior have often examined culture through values; however, cultural values can be based on collections of people other than traditional nation states. A cultural mosaic is presented as a framework to identify demographic, geographic, and associative features underlying culture. An individual's unique collage of multiple cultural identities yields a complex picture of the cultural influences on that person. Developments in chaos and complexity theories are proposed as a theoretical base for study on the complexity of culture at the individual level. Additional developments in network theory serve as a theoretical base for cultural research at the group level. The cultural mosaic is described as a complex system with localized structures, linking cultural tiles in ordered and chaotic ways. Research propositions examining multiple cultural identities at individual and group levels are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Immigration and the psychodynamics of class.

Numerous psychoanalytic contributors have theorized about the substantive role played by cultural factors in organizing individual identity. In addition to individual and family dynamics, issues related to class, race, religion, and other cultural themes also exert a vital presence in the treatment setting. These social forces define experience in profound ways from which it is impossible that form an inextricable part of an individual's psychology. Societal values, norms, and forces are carried and represented, forming an ever-present backdrop to our psychological lives. They thus become, perforce, part of the treatment process whether or not the therapist or analyst is aware of their presence. In prior work I have explored the topic of the immigrant's construction of self as it relates to social class (Ainslie, 2009). I argue that one of the variables that shape an immigrant's psychology is his or her social class position in his or her country of origin. In the present contribution, I seek to extend this exploration of the topic of social class and the psychology of immigration through three vignettes that capture aspects of how social class becomes represented in the experience and therapeutic treatment of immigrants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The growth of mind.

"What is most unique about man is that his growth as an individual depends upon the history of his species [as reflected in culture]… . the growth of the mind is always growth assisted from the outside… . What a culture does to assist the development of the powers of mind of its members is, in effect, to provide amplification systems… ." These are amplifiers of action, of the senses, and of thought processes. In considering the distinctiveness of man and his potentiality for further evolution: "The 5 great humanizing forces are… tool making, language, social organization, the management of man's prolonged childhood, and man's urge to explain… . [The] psychologist cannot alone construct a theory of how to assist cognitive development and cannot alone learn how to enrich and amplify the powers of a growing human mind." The task belongs to the whole intellectual community. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The validation of expressed interests as compared with inventoried interests: a fourteen-year follow-up.

Of 63 sophomores in 1939-40, who took the Strong VIB and a social history interview, occupational choice follow-up data were available in 1953 for 60 Ss. "Apparently the Strong… is most applicable to men reared in the middle class success culture. The Strong seems less applicable for those upper-middle and upper class groups who possess an alternative culture. Among this group, expressed interests are more accurate predictors than the test scores. The inventory predicts Ambitious Careers (feeling… that higher occupational goals can be attained) while the expressed interests predict Responsive Careers (feeling of acceptance with job progression which parents or relatives expect worker to follow)." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural expression of psychiatric symptoms: Idioms of anger among Puerto Ricans.

Increasing attention is being focused on the role of culture in psychological assessment and psychiatric diagnosis. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), there are cultural considerations in applying the criteria of psychiatric disorders, as well as a glossary of culture-bound syndromes. There is a need for further research to clarify the cultural roots of expressive symptomatology. In the present study, focus groups conducted with Puerto Rican adults revealed that idioms of anger are salient to the mental health among a low socioeconomic status, inner-city population. Community and clinical samples of respondents (N?=?531) were administered the idioms in a rating scale format. Factor analysis yielded dimensions expressive of aggression, assertiveness, and vindictiveness. These subscales correlated significantly with depressive and anxiety symptomatology, as measured by standardized instruments, and predicted clinical status. Results suggest that taking cultural expression of symptomatology into account enhances standard assessment of mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role orientation, the action-thought dimension, and outcome in psychiatric disorder.

The case histories of 251 patients were examined in order to investigate the relationship between symptoms manifested and a outcome measures, length of hospitalization and rehospitalization. As predicted, patients whose total symptomatology was characterized by a turning against the self had a shorter period of hospitalization than patients whose symptoms predominately fell into the avoidance of others category. No simple relationship was found between the Thought-Action emphasis in symptomatology and outcome. Patients of high social competence having a thought orientation were found to have the shortest period of hospitalization, low competence thought patients the longest period of hospitalization, and high and low competence action patients fell between these 2 groups. Thought patients had a greater likelihood of being rehospitalized than action patients. However, the likelihood of being rehospitalized was found to be influenced by the individual's competence level. (25 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social unrest: Powerlessness and/or self-direction?

Presents a theoretical model for understanding social unrest which is based on the experience of control. It is proposed that social unrest indicates powerlessness and consequently an inability to make self-directed choices to alter one's environment. The model postulates 4 interacting components or sources of behavioral determinants: (a) control from internal organismic states (e.g., impulses), (b) control over these internal states, (c) control over the environment, and (d) control from the environment. It is argued that social unrest must be dealt with in terms of the resources of the social sciences and not in political or managerial priorities. The question of whether social unrest is the outgrowth of the effects of social systems on individuals (overemphasis of control from the environment) or enlightenment regarding the individual's self-directing potential (increased control over the environment) is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence and leadership as a function of group structure.

"In a group decision situation, influence and perceived leadership were studied as a function of an individual's position in the communication network of his group. The hypotheses were advanced that, regardless of the network he is in, a group member (a) will be influenced less as his group reaches a decision, and (b) will be perceived as the group leader more often when his position in the communication network is more central… . On an overall basis, both hypotheses were confirmed… . The hypothesis concerning influence was tenable only in the case of one kind of network." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A terminal course for psychology majors.

A special course for senior psychology majors "… in which one step has been taken in the direction away from the conservative tradition of lecturing and examining" is described. The students' first assignment is to list "… the ten most persistent and pressing problems of personal and social living… " and the second is to "… select the ten concepts, laws, or principles which you believe to be the most significant… ." From these the "… subject matter of the rest of the term is established." There is "… frequent and favorable reaction from students… ." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural-societal roots of violence: The examples of genocidal violence and of contemporary youth violence in the United States.

Widespread violence in a society must have its origins in cultural characteristics, current societal conditions, or both. In this article, the cultural, societal, and psychological origins of two very different forms of violence are examined. A conception of the origins of genocide and mass killing is briefly presented, with the Holocaust and the violence in the former Yugoslavia as supporting evidence. Difficult life conditions give rise to scapegoating, destructive ideologies, and the evolution of increasing violence against a designated enemy. Cultural characteristics that make this process more or less probable are described. This is followed by a presentation of the socialization experiences of children that generate youth violence. To explain the increase in youth violence, the presence of difficult life conditions in the United States is noted (due primarily to substantial social change). The effects of difficult life conditions, cultural characteristics, and social conditions such as poverty and discrimination against minority groups on family life and parenting are described. Similarities and differences in the origins of the two forms of violence are examined.… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Political orientation and the perceptual effects of an anticipated interaction.

"… to shed further light on the conditions favoring similarity and complementarity in social preference, an experiment was designed to investigate the perception of a political stimulus person… by Ss varying in the strength of their own political orientation… . measured… by… political [scales]… . Ss were led to anticipate interacting with one of the stimulus persons, while in a control condition… there would be no expectation of ever meeting the SP." The results indicated that, "people with a strong need to manipulate their social enviornment tend to devalue others with similar orientation when a competetive interaction is anticipated." 15 refs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Values expressed in American children's readers: 1800-1950.

"Content analysis of children's readers from schools in the United States demonstrated a rise in achievement imagery from 1800 to about 1900 and then a steady decline… . A steady decline over the period 1800-1950 was found in the amount of moral teaching in readers… [and] an increase in affiliation imagery… . the data correspond… with certain cultural trends pointed out by students of cultural change." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detection of chromosome races among the malarial mosquito Anopheles sacharovi]

Depression in the elderly is a public health problem that will increase in magnitude as a progressively larger proportion of our population consists of those over the age of 65. Epidemiologic studies indicate that the elderly are in need of physical and mental health care. New data from 1,645 respondents in a Southeastern county show the high frequency of depressive symptomatology in the elderly and a significant relationship between poverty and depressive symptomatology. Predominant symptoms were lowered spirits, feeling helpless, a gloomy outlook on the future, a sense of powerlessness, and difficulties with sleep and appetite. A social psychiatric orientation is needed to supplement the more traditional psychodynamic formulations of depression in the aged. Adverse social conditions and cultural biases deprive the elderly person of a requisite level of self-esteem and place him at risk for depression. Treatment included humanistically based psychotherapy which can be carried out by doctors, the use of antidepressants, medications, and the development of social support systems.